Overall, these shoes are great for the gym and bouldering, but they have a few issues. The rounded toe takes a lot of getting used to and can be difficult to use on pockets (and near impossible for mircos). That said, the rubber is really good in comparsion to some of other shoes I've owned (Defy, Moccasym); after six months of four days a week climbing, the rubber is holding up well. The extra rubber that covers these shoes can be really useful, but most of the time acts as dead weight. The worst aspect of these shoes is their size. They are about a 1/2 size smaller than what their label says, so be careful when sizing (I'm a 12 street shoe, and my Optimus' are sized to an 11, but fit like a 10.5); DON'T buy these online without trying 'em on somewhere. A darn good shoe, but the minor flaws add up.

These shoes are a pretty good performance shoe. Especially for the price. Just make sure you size them right when you buy. I bought them the same size as my street shoe and they were pretty painful. It took a couple weeks of climbing every other day to loosen them up so I could make it up a long sport route with out thinking my toes were bleeding. How ever I still think these were great shoes. They edge like a dream. They have a rounded toe box so you can get a little more shoe on the rock when edging or smearing. These babies have a lot of rubber on the toe and heel so you can hook all day in them. The down side to all that rubber and the rounded toe box is that its hard to fit your toe into those smaller pockets. I would recommend these to a friend just make sure you size right.

These shoes are amazing all around!
I've have had 4 diff pairs of shoes and these by far are the best of them all!
Amazing shoes, but not for new climbers, defiantly meant for more experienced climbers.
I would have to say the one thing they are not good for is Slab climbing. (Hurts your feet really bad)
There price is AMAZING of how good the shoe is!
Some people don't like the fit because it's not narrow enough. (I have square feet so they fit me great :D )
If you have been climbing at least 2-3 years these should be your next shoes to get!

These shoes (for me) are super comfy. I can wear them all day. I think they are great for all types of climbing. Especially edging. My first pair of shoes with a rounded toe box, wasnt sure if i would like it but it took no time at all to get used to it. Great for toe hooks and heel hooks. The rubber is good and sticky. They do get pretty smelly fast. I will def. be wearing these shoes for a while. I have had them almost a year and i have no look of wear on the toebox. Dont look like they are going to blow out any time soon either. I would def. recommend these shoes if your looking for something comfortable with high performance. I did order them slightly larger than I would usually order (one half size) and they fit perfect for wearing all day.

I favor these over my Evolv Optimus, Predator, and Defy. The heel fits my foot better than any shoe i've ever worn. As compared to La Sportiva, it's 100% better fitting on MY heel. After only a few days climbing in them (Wear a 9 in these, 9.5 Optimus, 10 Predator) they are reletively comfortable and I can wear them for long periods of time without much pain, despite my toes being tightly curled.

I tend to bust through the toebox with in a few months with my Evolvs (bad footwork or bad quality?). I haven't had these long enough for that to happen, but i'm hoping these will last a little longer.

These are great for overhanging or vertical climbs. They are not ideal for slabs, but they'll do well enough if you only want one pair of shoes.

My only complaint is that they get super sweaty inside, my foot doesn't wiggle and my heel still stays put during heelhooks, but they begin to smell pretty raunchy pretty quick.

All in all, I recommend them.

This shoe is great. I love the feel, the look, and the performance it has. the rubber is super sticky, and the rubber over the top helps a whole lot when toe hooking. Standing up on these bad boys when in a pocket is super solid, and they can edge surprisingly well for such an aggressive shoe. I wouldn't take these on an all day trad multi-pitch session, but that is because I got mine sized small. After about half an hour of wearing and climbing in them I have to take them off, because they are just so tight. The fit is perfect though, heel hooking is a breeze, no sloppiness or shifting at all. If you wanted a do-it-all shoe, don't get this one, I use it only for overhanging bouldering and sport climbing. If you are working a slab or a crack, go for something else.

a very good all around climbing shoe very comfortable and good on rock and wall. would be a good all round shoe if ur only going to have one pair good bang for the buck too

Honestly, the best fitting shoes I've ever owned. They are great for hard, overhanging sport lines and pushing your bouldering limit. I bought them at a "comfortable" size if you could call it that, and now they fit my feet like gloves. They are not my everyday shoe, and I generally don't use them for easy face, slab or trad climbing.

They are very sticky and the extended toe rand is amazing for toe hooking. The heel hugs my foot (unlike my other pair of Evolvs) and I've never felt the shoe slip around at all. My only complaint is that the rands busted through before the shoes were even close to needing a resole (but I guess that's what tons of toe hooking and putting up new projects can do). Props to Evolv on the resole as well, I swear they are actually better after than when they were new.

This review is for the optimus not the optimus prime. This is my indoor training shoe. I sized it to my street shoe size which knuckles the toes all the way . I have been wearing this shoe for 1 year climbing indoors 3x / week and ocasional use on outdoor climbs. after you break them in the don't so much stretch as they mold to your foot making them like a secound skin. you have to get used to the way this shoe grabs on to holds, it's not so much like steping on a hold as it is hooking it with your toes. after a year of constant gym use they are shoeing minimal wear and if anythign have become better shoes. This shoe also excells at just past 90 degree crimp climbing where it literally feels like youa re brabbing small edges with your feet instead of trying to stand on them.

these shoes took me about three weeks to break in and i climb 5 days a week.

The heel box of the shoe doesn't fit me the greatest.

I think this a really, really good shoe. I dont do much trad so i dont really look for that in a shoe, but it is amazing for bouldering and sport. I have owned one pair and they were pretty decent but i honestly feel like the solutions were just a much better fit for me. I only have one complaint about the shoe, theyre pretty stiff and dont offer much "feeling" of the rock. Actually, i have a few complaints, they kind of smell after a bit because they dont really let your foot breathe too much but thats not really that much of a big deal. Like most evolvs, they dont stretch much but the heel is pretty small and the last is the first thing to go but that can be fixed by simply smearing and dragging the toe less.

My review is of the Optimus slipper, not the Primes. They are on sale at a lot of stores, so a review might help.

They are fine shoes, but not much more! The heel is ok but not outstanding, not as fine a tool as on the Dragons or Testarossa's. The point is sensitive, but a bit to round for me. They stretch more than advertised and after two evenings they already feel quite comfy, hope that the keep there shape from now on!
All in all happy with them for advanced gym training but not my weapon of choice for the real projects.

So for the price, these shoes rock!

About me: I'm a college student who climbs in the college indoor gym a lot (4 to 5 days a week), I get outside maybe 2 times a month weather permitting. I mostly boulder with some top rope.

Pros:
Heel Hooks like a champ
Overhangs become easier with these shoes
The rubber is great

Cons:
Edging can be painful outside the cave
Small pockets aren't quite as easy with the toe design
Not super comfortable

I have used these both inside and outside a good amount, and plastic or rock both stickiness is great with evolv's rubber. These shoes aren't comfortable for the trad or all day wear, but they are highly technical for those bouldering routes in the cave. you'd be surprised how often the rubber on the TOP of the shoe can come into play as well, toe hooks become an easy task with these shoes. Highly recommended if you boulder or sport climb overhangs!

BONUS REVIEW!!!
I also have the slipper version of these shoes, evolv Optimus and they are just as good with a boost in comfort level, I can wear the slippers for long sessions in the gym perfectly fine. Heel hooking isn't as great but still manageable, unlike other slippers i have seen used, the heel wont pop off when heel hooking, it just isn't as solid so it might throw you off if you aren't ready for it. On flat wall they are slightly better than the velcro version because they flex a bit more, which is convenient

I recommend the slipper version even more than I do the velcro version if you want a better all around shoe, since I rarely take them off and don't have to worry about the hassle of changing shoes for different climbs!

This is a weird Shoe. Great at one thing and not much else. For the price it's hard to find a shoe that does that thing better. For over hangs and steep bouldering this shoe is great. Taken out side of the cave and a $50 pair of mad rocks kicks it's ass.
The toe is symetrical which can help on the steep, but forget about edging in these.
I wear a size 10.5 street shoe and a size 10 in these gave me a good tight fit. I wouldn't go too much smaller as they do not stretch.

Solid shoe for bouldering. Toes blew out after a year of climbing...only downside.

I use these for hard bouldering, especially cave problems. Great shoe, but not as your first pair.

I've got a project that has ten heel hooks in a row. Its spit off most of my boots and I purchased these primarily to heel hook. In this they excel. They also excel on all sorts of terrain, though it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. I've done many moves in these boots that I can't do in anything else. The downside is that on some routes it's the opposite. This makes them a hard shoe to figure, but also an essential part of your boot quiver. They're almost always in my pack because there's always the chance they are the piece of the puzzle that's missing.

They fit like a glove. Like most downturned boots they give you amazing toe power. They do have a strange toe box, which makes them hard to figure. A bit boxy, they don't always fit well into pockets. However, when they do you get more power than with any other boot on the market. They also hook, be in heel, toe, upper, side like velcro. I wear them tight but I doubt they'd be comfortable even if they were huge. That's not their function in any case. They are made for sends at your limit, and in this they excel. Don't go sport climbing without them.